Spectra cap replacement photos
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- jackhackett
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- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:52 am
Spectra cap replacement photos
Got out the camera and took some pics of a spectra I was recapping, figured I'd share some. Here's a series from the PA cap. Starting at the top you see:
1) The original cap with some board damage.
2) The cap being removed by being grasped with cutters, then wiggled back and forth and pulled off, leaving...
3) just the base of the cap.
4) The base is removed and...
5) the pads and damage are cleaned up.
6) A new radial leaded cap is soldered on.
1) The original cap with some board damage.
2) The cap being removed by being grasped with cutters, then wiggled back and forth and pulled off, leaving...
3) just the base of the cap.
4) The base is removed and...
5) the pads and damage are cleaned up.
6) A new radial leaded cap is soldered on.
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- What radios do you own?: AM/FM
- jackhackett
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- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:52 am
- Elroy Jetson
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2001 4:00 pm
I don't think I could recommend trying to yank the cap off the board. The solder lands can only take so much abuse before they delaminate from the boards, and it's FAR better to heat the connections with a soldering iron first and remove the cap that way than to try to pop the cap off its base and then remove the base.
The first time you tear a land off, it'll be the LAST time you ever want to do that. At least if it's on a product you want to continue to use.
I think I will be recapping my A9 high power VHF Spectra in the very near future, just because it's old enough and those SMT caps do have short lifespans.
Does anyone have a list of the required caps to recap this particular type radio, or am I going to just have to take a lot of notes?
Elroy
The first time you tear a land off, it'll be the LAST time you ever want to do that. At least if it's on a product you want to continue to use.
I think I will be recapping my A9 high power VHF Spectra in the very near future, just because it's old enough and those SMT caps do have short lifespans.
Does anyone have a list of the required caps to recap this particular type radio, or am I going to just have to take a lot of notes?
Elroy
- jackhackett
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- Elroy Jetson
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- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2001 4:00 pm
I've replaced lots of caps in Spectras using this method with no problems. A GOOD cleanup on both sides of the board and feedthrough repairs may be needed. To each his own!
Will wrote:That IS great, it accelerates the capacitor leakage damage... best to follow Jack's recomendations..dirtrat wrote:I use a heat gun to remove the caps, works great!
First the radio will start to act "funky". Can be small quirks
pop up all the way to total failure. Also look closely for darker
green "stains" under the solder mask. It all should be an even green
color. Probably the best all around way to remove them is to crush
them from around the leads going up into the actual cap. Then
VERY CAREFULLY work the crushed pieces away from the remainder
of the solder pads. Then you can remove them one at a time
with the solder iron. The key is to not apply any pulling pressure
to the actual pads and risk uprooting the solder traces. Then
scrape off ALL of the solder mask where the discoloration is and
keep on scraping the tarnished copper till it is bright, then tin it.
replace the cap, and I usually coat the tinned area with a light coat
of acrylic clear nail polish, and thats about it. Just go slow. Phrawg
pop up all the way to total failure. Also look closely for darker
green "stains" under the solder mask. It all should be an even green
color. Probably the best all around way to remove them is to crush
them from around the leads going up into the actual cap. Then
VERY CAREFULLY work the crushed pieces away from the remainder
of the solder pads. Then you can remove them one at a time
with the solder iron. The key is to not apply any pulling pressure
to the actual pads and risk uprooting the solder traces. Then
scrape off ALL of the solder mask where the discoloration is and
keep on scraping the tarnished copper till it is bright, then tin it.
replace the cap, and I usually coat the tinned area with a light coat
of acrylic clear nail polish, and thats about it. Just go slow. Phrawg
BBbzzzzz... ZAP.. GULP !!! ahhhh GOOD fly !
- jackhackett
- Posts: 1515
- Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:52 am
Common symptoms:
FAIL 001 error
"Thumping" sound in audio when receive unmutes.
Display problems (missing segments/digits)
Low receive audio but keypress beeps still normal volume. (I think this is mainly the A4 heads, a resistor in series with the volume pot gets damaged)
Biggest tell-tale sign: Radio says "Spectra" on the front ;)
Now, about removing the caps, if you do like I said and rock them back and forth slightly first, the body of the cap pulls off the leads rather easily. Once in a while a lead may come off with the cap, but that's when the solder joint is corroded to the point that the lead practically falls off anyway.
FAIL 001 error
"Thumping" sound in audio when receive unmutes.
Display problems (missing segments/digits)
Low receive audio but keypress beeps still normal volume. (I think this is mainly the A4 heads, a resistor in series with the volume pot gets damaged)
Biggest tell-tale sign: Radio says "Spectra" on the front ;)
Now, about removing the caps, if you do like I said and rock them back and forth slightly first, the body of the cap pulls off the leads rather easily. Once in a while a lead may come off with the cap, but that's when the solder joint is corroded to the point that the lead practically falls off anyway.
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If you're feeling funky, you can also pop the lids off and take a big ol' sniff around any of the caps. Leaky ones have a very distinct (and pungent) dead fish smell that gets about 1,000 times worse when you put heat to them.jackhackett wrote:Common symptoms:
FAIL 001 error
"Thumping" sound in audio when receive unmutes.
Display problems (missing segments/digits)
Low receive audio but keypress beeps still normal volume. (I think this is mainly the A4 heads, a resistor in series with the volume pot gets damaged)
Biggest tell-tale sign: Radio says "Spectra" on the front
I was taught to use a wick, flux, and a fine-tip iron to desolder the old caps, but I think I like Jack's method better. As he pointed out, several of them can be a "female dog" to get an iron to.
Re: Spectra cap replacement photos
On a similar note, how do you remove the damaged traces?